Like Raindrops On The Window
by MrsCliveDove
Summary: "Well then, you're free to stay as long as you like. I'll be here until 3 o'clock." Lucy raised a single eyebrow. "Wot're you doing at 3 o'clock?" Alfendi drained what was left of his coffee before speaking, "I have a meeting... With my father." Just a little two-shot I came up with at the beginning of the summer. Enjoy! (Also I apologize for the crap title)
1. Chapter 1

**Hola!~**

**Yes, I suppose I have made my return from my summer-long writing hiatus. This is a lil' thing I cooked up in my head at the beginning of the summer, and I thought I would finally share the _first part_ of it with you all now! Enjoy! -MCD**

**PS: To those _still_ waiting for Ch.10 of "Iris", that will hopefully be coming up shortly! Please stay tuned! *kisskiss***

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Today was a dreary sort of day in London. The rain had been sprinkling on and off under sad grey clouds, while few citizens walked the streets holding blandly-coloured umbrellas. Detective Constable Lucy Baker sat in the 'Mystery Room', the heart of Scotland Yard, and mindlessly watched the people walk past the window. They moved at a slow pace despite the rain, with heads down and sagging smiles. Lucy's expression was no different. It seemed as if on days like this, no one was ever happy. Lucy slouched forward more, her elbow resting on the wooden windowsill and her head in her hand as she continued to watch. Occasionally, she would hear quiet rustling from the opposite end of the room, indicating that her boss, Inspector Alfendi Layton, was finished reading another newspaper.

That was one thing that was interesting about her new boss, Lucy thought, that he collected newspapers. This would have been fine if he had specifications on which newspapers he saved, but Alfendi had a thing for keeping every newspaper he came across. No matter the year printed or place of origin, he would tuck it away in a box to read later. Heck, he even had newspapers in his coat pockets 24/7. She had been working with him going on 3 weeks now, and come to think of it, she had never once seen him without them. Lucy had been a little skeptical on working in a new place with a new boss, but this was something she did not expect. One thing she did expect though, was having a new and exciting mystery to unravel everyday. Lucy would wake up rerring to go every morning, excited to work with the Prof, as she had nicknamed Alfendi, on another murder that had not yet been solved. Sadly, today did not meet that expectation. The Mystery Room was fresh out of cases for the duo to tackle, leaving Lucy feeling as disappointed as a child watching their pretty red balloon float away. She huffed again as her breath made the window fog up.

Bored to wit's end, Lucy's tired maroon coloured eyes shifted to the Prof, sitting with his feet on the desk and a large newspaper completely covering his upper half from view. She began to watch him for a while, since he seemed considerably more interesting than the scene outside. Every minute or so, a hand would reach out from behind his newspaper, grab the cup of coffee from the coaster on the desk, take a sip, and then put it back down. Lucy also noticed his purple cowlick of hair sticking up from the top of the paper. Al mindlessly tried to comb it back with his hand a few times, but it continued to spring back up again after a few seconds. Lucy giggled to herself before finally getting up from her chair. She waltzed over towards the Prof's desk, now noticing his most current stacks of newspaper. There was one pile to his left and right on the desk; one mentally labelled "Read" and the other "To Read". The "Read" pile was growing larger by the minute. Lucy sat down in the single leather chair adjacent from the desk and looked back up to the Prof. His nose was still dug deep into his paper, like he hadn't even noticed her presence.

" 'Ey... Prof?" She said aloud before looking down at her twiddling thumbs. There was no response, except for the rustling of another page being flipped. Lucy frowned at failing to get the Inspector's attention. Her eyes then quickly caught sight of a small ruler Al must have been using before to measure evidence. She delicately reached over to it, and used it to fold down the top of the paper, making Alfendi's now surprised face visible.

"Prof." She said again, looking into his golden eyes.

"..Yes, Lucy?" He questioned, wondering why she'd interrupted his reading time. He barely had a spare moment on a daily basis, so he was quite happy and relaxed a minute ago.

Alfendi's assistant lazily threw herself back into the chair, causing it to slide a few inches. Her orange hat had flopped back a tad on her head as well, so she readjusted it before opening her mouth to speak.

"Are you 100% sure that there are no more cases?"

Al sighed, and set his paper down.

"Lucy, if there were any cases, we'd be investigating them by now." He simply replied. The Prof's eyebrows rose while he took another long sip of coffee, and hid behind his newspaper yet again.

Lucy knew very well there were no cases left to solve at the moment, and that's what was troubling her. She was becoming fidgety with the thought of having no statements to analyze, no evidence to inspect, and no prime suspect to identify. And the Prof was just sitting there like he had no worries in the world.

"So," Lucy tried again to create conversation in the awkward atmosphere, "whatcha reading?"

Alfendi didn't turn his paper down this time, so all Lucy heard was a pre-occupied voice muffled from behind the paper. "A copy of 'The Toronto Star' from 1994" he said casually.

"Toronto.." Lucy though aloud. "That's in Canada, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is." He flipped another page, and threw away the section of comics to continue with more old news on politics or whatnot.

"Why're you readin' a paper from Canada?" Lucy regretted asking the question as soon as the last word fell from her lips.

"I happened to come across it the other day, thought it would be something new." Al's voice fell to a slight murmur as he spoke, becoming deeper entranced by the text on the faded newsprint.

0 for 2, Lucy thought, crossing her small arms across her chest and rolling her eyes. Unless she had something to occupy herself, she would likely keel over any minute now. Without thinking, she reached forward onto the Prof's desk towards his miniature Newton's Cradle. Lucy never understood why he even owned such a thing. What use did it have anyway? Nonetheless, Lucy focused all of her remaining energy (if any) on carefully pulling back one of the small metal balls on the string, and watching it swing back to hit the others, only to see the last ball in the line take the hit. The contraption continued to function; Lucy's eyes swept left to right, following every clacking noise. She then overlapped her arms on the edge of the table and rested her head on them, looking much like a cat watching a clock pendulum. Being the childishly-curious woman she was, Lucy stuck out her index finger and slowly moved it towards the metal balls.

"Ouch!" She exclaimed under her breath, recoiling back in a snap and placing her pinched finger in her mouth. Alfendi peered over the top of the paper once again to see what the commotion was about.

"Lucy." He started. The girl's gaze shot up to meet his as her cheeks blushed pink with embarrassment. "You know you can go home. There is simply no work for us today, so technically there is no reason for you to be here."

Lucy thought about the option for a moment. "Oi, then why are you even 'ere?" She questioned.

Al gestured to his pile of "To Read" papers. "To catch up on the world, of course. I very much prefer the peace and quiet of the Mystery Room compared to the ruckus of my apartment flat." He disconnected their eye contact and flipped another page of the paper. Lucy nodded at his plausible explanation. "And then, why are you still here?" He spoke up again. Lucy sighed audibly at his retort.

"Well.." She stood up, and began to pace towards the back of the room, "I don't know. I feel like another case is just going to pop up any minute now. Like t'Commissioner will just bust through t'door with a set of case files in 'is hand!" She threw up her arms in the air as she turned back to face Alfendi. "I'm afraid that if I go home, I'll miss it."

The only response Lucy got was a chuckle from her boss. He folded up his finished newspaper and lightly set it in the "Read" pile. "Well then, you're free to stay as long as you like. I'll be here until 3 o'clock." Lucy raised a single eyebrow.

"Wot're you doing at 3 o'clock?"

Alfendi drained what was left of his coffee before speaking, "I have a meeting... With my father."


	2. Chapter 2

**Aaaaaand I'm back again. Hello :D**

**So anyway, like I promised, part two of the apparent "Two-Shot"! Although since I just realized how long this part two would be, I split part two into another 2 parts.**

**"You follow me?" –Clive Dove**

**So please, by all means, continue reading… and enjoy..!**

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PS: since this story is really just all of my Mystery Room headcanons wrapped into a little baby, they might not all make sense to you. If you come across anything that you think doesn't make sense or you have any questions, please PM me!

"Your father, eh? Didn't you say 'e were some sort'a university professor?" Lucy inquired.

"Yes. He is an archaeology professor at Gressenheller University. Not for much longer, though. I believe he would be considering retirement by now." Alfendi tightened the small ponytail at the back of his head, as he reclined in his office chair.

"Wot're you meeting with your father about? If you don't mind me asking." She added.

Alfendi looked to her, then the ceiling. He appreciated his new assistant's quest for knowledge, but it's as if she was naive to the fact that they were touching on a personal subject. Instead of looking her in the eyes as he spoke, he continued to stare at the plain cream-coloured ceiling.

"Well, I- I haven't seen my father in a very long time. We, uh..." He scratched his prickly chin nervously, "We never really got along very well once I became a young adult. I plan to visit him, and possibly patch things up."

"Oh." Lucy replied. Suddenly, she stood and quickly walked to the small kitchen in the corner of the room. She placed a mug under the coffee brewer and pressed the button for hot water while she retrieved a teabag and a package of microwave popcorn from her purse nearby. Alfendi watched her for a moment.

"What are you doing?" He asked, sitting up in his chair. Lucy glanced at him before pressing the start button on the microwave as it lit up and began to whirr.

"Well, ya can't just leave me hangin' there, Prof. I figured it'was story time, and ya can't 'ave story time without a few things to nibble on!" Lucy flashed him a small smile before placing the teabag in her mug. Al sighed before giving in.

"If it's not too much trouble, would you make me another coffee, please? And I wouldn't mind a splash or two of that cream liquor in it as well." Al held his forehead with one hand and lazily gestured to the cupboard above the sink with the other. Lucy silently obeyed, and returned to the desk a minute later with both of their steaming drinks and the popcorn separated into two bowls. Alfendi wasn't a big popcorn fan, but he appreciated the thought. He cleared a few stacks of papers from his desk so Lucy would have a place to set the snacks down. She did so and then snatched a quilt off the nearby couch to cuddle up with in her chair. Once settled, she held her tea in her hands and share of popcorn between her crossed legs, wide waiting eyes on Alfendi. He noticed her apparent eagerness, but continued to sit silently.

"So what are you expecting me to say?" He finally asked, interrupting the beat of hard rain on the windows.

"Well, I figured you were goin' ta continue this story about your family." Lucy shrugged, "Aye, Prof. I've been working with you for a few weeks now, and I know next to nothing about your past. So please, fill me in a bit." She begged him like a puppy would for treats. Alfendi looked deep into her uniquely coloured eyes, debating on his answer. He could say no... But that would leave his assistant constantly nagging for information in the days to come. Lucy's close-lipped smile grew bigger as she realized the Prof was giving in to her excuse of "story time".

"Well. Where do I start?"

"Childhood." Lucy piped up, "Ya know, you, your family, your friends."

Al held back a scoff. "Quite a typical statement, wouldn't you think?" He drank his coffee while his eyes met Lucy's again, and found she seemed a little confused, "'Thing is, I had no family or friends. It was just my father and I."

"Give over, Prof! " Lucy blurted out in disbelief, "Wha'bout your mum?"

"Never met her. Or my biological father, for that matter."

"...You were adopted?" Alfendi nodded slowly, verifying her statement. Lucy took a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into her gaping mouth. She speedily swallowed it and fired out another question.

"So wot was growing up like?"

Alfendi seemed to sit back and think for a moment. "My adoptive father, Hershel, was a proper British gentleman. So as tradition states, he raised me as one. As I mentioned earlier, he was a professor, which meant a lot of his time needed to be devoted to his work. I could tell he always felt bad about leaving me alone with a sitter during weekdays, but it taught me how to become self-sufficient over the years." Al stopped as a small crack of a smile appeared on his face, "I was 6 when he first told me he was proud of me. I was always doing well in school, finishing my homework, and doing what I had to without being told. He always assured me that I would one day become a gentleman like him."

The last thing Alfendi had mentioned intrigued Lucy. She ran the last sentence through her mind. 'One day be a gentleman'? It had only been just over a week since Lucy discovered the truth behind the Prof. His most common personality, the one she called "Placid Prof" was not really Alfendi. It was actually his alternate side, and the ignorant and slightly verbally-abusive "Potty Prof" was the true Alfendi. Of course, this was a huge shock to her; it still was. Lucky for her, Potty Prof generally only appeared when a criminal was present, thus making today (hopefully) look like a Placid Prof day. Though, that's what didn't make any sense to her. If Al was originally the Potty Prof, what happened to the good young boy he was, and the future gentleman his father claimed he would be? This problem ticked in her mind while she took a swig of tea. She hoped the Prof would be open enough to tell her the answer later on. That's when Lucy realized the Prof had continued talking while she was deep in thought.

"...And I was about 11, I believe, when I started following by his example and actually read the newspapers at the breakfast table. Dad always told me that knowing what was happening in the world was beneficial." He robotically took a few pieces of popcorn from his bowl and ate them in between his words, which surprised Lucy. She knew he wasn't a big fan of popcorn, but she split it with him only because she wouldn't be able to eat the whole bag. "Then I came across one issue in particular that had a front-page news story on a recent murder crime. It really seemed to strike a nerve in me, and soon enough, I developed quite a fascination for crime mysteries."

Lucy curled up her legs to her chest and listened to the Prof in complete awe as he continued to tell her stories of his past life. He was on a roll, hardly pausing to take a breath as he recalled his memories. Maybe he just had pent up emotions or something, Lucy wondered.

"Then-" Alfendi went silent. His expression fell, holding his lips tight to each other, and looked down to his coffee. Lucy noticed his face go slightly pale for a moment.

"Prof?" She said, a bit worried, "'re you alright?" Alfendi looked up at her for a brief moment before going back to his drink. He seemed as if he had warmed up to this conversation a second ago, and now he had suddenly gone cold. Lucy thought of it like London's weather in the past few days.

"I uh... Yes. Yes, I'm fine." He sputtered out, rubbing his brow as if he had contracted a headache or something. "It's just that pleasant memories are always matched with unpleasant ones, I suppose."

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~END OF PART 1 TO PART 2~


	3. Chapter 3

Lucy began to feel guilty, like she had led him into talking about something he wasn't comfortable with. "Well, if you don't want to talk about it, I can-" Lucy began to stand up and gestured towards the door before being cut off.

"No. It's fine. You deserve to know." The Prof stared right at her. Lucy dropped down into the chair while he carried on. "Well, as I was saying about the murder mysteries I constantly read about in the papers... After a while.. I felt something change in me." Alfendi explained, lacing his fingers together and resting his elbows on his desk. "I must have been maybe 14 when I realized it was all I could think about. Every minute of every day, I was reading, searching, finding new crimes that hadn't yet been solved. I would dig up everything I could about a case, the suspects, the evidence, statements, anything I could get my hands on. Even if that meant hacking a few security files, admittedly. I also started making a little money on the side by selling tips to the police on crimes that I had practically solved on my own." Alfendi smirked, resting his forehead on his hands again. Some of his hair fell in front of his face, hiding it from Lucy. "It was like, my old self was being assimilated into another's; that other person being a criminal. My state of mind was altered, quite literally birthing the-"

"Potty Prof." Lucy finally spoke up, astonished. A piece of popcorn fell from her open mouth.

Alfendi had no need to confirm. He just nervously picked at a loose thread on the sleeve of his white lab coat.

"Well how did your dad take it? I can't imagine that he'd 'ave known wot were going on." Lucy inquired.

"He didn't." Al replied, voice hardly a mumble, "Dad was so confused. He'd done his best to raise me well, but it was like it all crumbled back down on him. I was ignorant, I was violent. I wasn't even little Alfendi anymore. This new, /thing/," he emphasized, "was now truly... me. Dad was crushed." Al's tone became quieter and hollower with every word. His hands slowly became fists. "We fought everyday until I made it my goal to completely ignore him and focus on other things I found more important. By the time I was 18, I had moved out and into my current apartment with the money I'd saved. Shortly after that, I began real work as an intern right here in Scotland Yard." Alfendi seemed to ease up a bit as he sat back in his chair again, laying his arms on the armrests. "Only when my mind is stuck like this, the hypothetical "Mr. Hyde" **(AN: Placid Prof would be Al's Mr. Hyde, seeing as it is his alternate self),** do I ever regret what I've done. The real me doesn't even care." He shrugged his shoulders, eyes closed. The Prof briefly glanced up to his assistant, leaning forward in her chair, jaw hanging open and eyes wide.

"P-P-Prof..." Lucy stuttered. Her eyes began to well up with a few tears. "I... I never would 'ave imagined that.." She couldn't even finish her sentence. Alfendi looked away from her sad face with embarrassment, and stared down into the last sips of coffee in his mug. He was done showing anymore emotion today. His mouth became a straight line as he tried to forget about everything he had just said.

Suddenly, Alfendi was propelled back in his his wheely chair, causing him to drop the coffee mug on the floor with a clink. Lucy had gotten up out of her chair and flung herself at him, engulfing her boss in a huge hug.

"Mmph!" He exclaimed in surprise, her shoulder mostly covering his mouth.

"Oh Prof..." She said wearily. Her face was dug into his neck, and Alfendi could feel her warm tears fall from her cheeks to his collarbone. He writhed his face out of her hold.

"Now, Lucy... It's nothing to cry over..." He told her in a slightly uncomfortable voice. Only when her muffled whines continued, did Alfendi realize that she was really upset. After a few moments, Lucy calmed down enough to speak.

"Y-yes, I know. But... I never in a million years ever expected a story like that from you. And I'm just so happy you opened up that much to me. Thank you." She said before pulling back away from him, wiping her cheeks with the back of her petite hands. When she finally looked down at Alfendi, she saw his awkward expression and realized her gesture probably wasn't welcome.

"I-I'm sorry... Prof.." She stammered, embarrassed for her outburst. Face hot, she hurried over to the office's couch to retrieve her purse. "I'll just be going now-"

Her hand was about to grab the doorknob when the Prof laid his hand on Lucy's shoulder. She stopped, and then cautiously pivoted back around to face Alfendi. His eyes shone a bright yellow, slightly different then she'd ever seen them before. She quickly glanced at his hair which was still purple; he was still Placid Prof. They stared at each other for a few seconds in complete silence.

"No, Lucy." Alfendi spoke up, shocking Lucy a bit with his words.

"Er..." She squeaked before Al continued.

"I've never told anyone about this; about my life." Lucy noticed by his tone that he was forcing out the words, "I-it's just that my past has been such a burden on my shoulders all my life. And it's taken me his long to finally come to terms with it and try to fix it."

Alfendi stopped, trying to come up with something to finish his thought. It was one of the few times Lucy had ever witnessed him at a loss for words.

"So essentially," he said, dropping his hand lightly from Lucy's shoulder, "I'm thanking you for listening... And for being there, I suppose." He shrugged, his thin hangs finding their way back into his jacket pockets.

This time, Lucy didn't cry. She didn't even shed a tear. She simply smiled wide, and enveloped the Prof into another hug. He was hardly surprised, given the events of a few minutes earlier, but he delicately returned the hug. He heard Lucy quietly giggle when he did.

"I hope you'll respect my trust in you, Lucy?" He asked, raising an eyebrow after they broke the hug, "That means no blabbing this to anyone else."

"Of course, Prof." She beamed. He smiled back at her, a small tint of pink appearing on his cheeks.

"You can go home now if you want." Alfendi said cooly, "And I promise to call you if the Commissioner comes in with another case."

"Aye, I'll be waitin'." Lucy winked, "And good luck wit' you and your daddy, too!" He nodded in response, and with that, Lucy was gone.

Alfendi contently returned to his wheely chair. Though, instead of reaching for another newspaper, he just sat, and stared out the windows of the Mystery Room. The clouds, which only ten minutes ago had been dousing the city with rain, had broken away and started letting in some sunlight. A few raindrops still clung to the glass panes, Alfendi had noticed. He chuckled; they made him think of himself. But alas, once the sun was around for a bit longer, those heavy raindrops would fall off the window and fade away. And everything would be okay.

Alfendi reclined in his chair, propping his feet up on top of his desk yet again. He picked a few popped kernels from the bowl that was still on the desk, and expertly tossed them into his mouth. As he snacked, he closed his eyes and relaxed, quietly anticipating 3:00 to come around.

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**So, you rikey? XD**

**I didn't even expect to be finished this today, but I was bored on the bus ride home so here it is. Please feel free to drop a review; I squeal for each one I get! :3**

**I also snuck in a line from a previous chapter of "Iris" too. See if you can find it ;)**

**Well, I'm off for now. I should really be studying for my Biology test or my Chemistry test or writing my Anthropology paper, but that can wait. Expect another chapter of "Iris" soon! Just maybe not within the next week or so, but before the end of the month, for sure!**


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